1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to call handling. More specifically, this invention relates to receiving emergency related and/or non emergency related calls and to providing a protocol that generates appropriate responses to a received call or calls.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Call handling of either emergency or non emergency related situations is a process of responding to a caller with information that is relevant to the presented situation. Call handling is often employed with Computer Aided Dispatch (“CAD”) systems that dispatch response units, such as police, fire and/or medical units, based on received information. For example, call handling of the prior art CAD systems typically involved a CAD operator who received a call describing a certain event. The CAD operator subsequently conveyed this information to a dispatch unit by manually inputting information into the CAD system. The CAD system would then recommend the appropriate dispatch unit(s) for response to the event.
To identify the appropriate type of dispatch, the CAD operator typically read from a set of cue cards to elicit information from the caller regarding the event. For example, if the caller were to place a 911 call to report a fire, the CAD operator, depending on the experience and expertise of the operator, may read from a set of cards for eliciting information about the fire from the caller. Such information may include, for example, the location of the fire, the number of people in need of emergency and/or medical assistance due to the fire and the caller's relationship to the emergency (e.g., is the caller a passerby reporting the situation or is the caller an active party to the situation).
The set of cards, in essence, was a protocol that allowed the CAD operator to identify the appropriate response for the event. However, cue cards were simply not dynamic enough to allow a CAD operator to pursue the most appropriate line of questioning. For example, emergency CAD operators typically handle a variety of different complaints regarding emergency related situations (e.g., situations requiring fire, police and/or medical response) or non emergency related (e.g., situations requiring no response like accidental or improper 911 calls). The cue cards typically did not contain sufficient pertinent information for the CAD operator to respond to calls which required a multi-agency response. As such, the cards were ineffective for eliciting information from a caller.
Additionally, these manual card systems were cumbersome which often lead to a lack of consistency in questioning and usage. Moreover, because these prior systems were not able to dynamically respond to a call, the CAD operators were forced to classify and prioritize calls until a proper response could be provided. Further, because the card systems were static in nature and not able to capture information elicited from the caller(s), reporting, statistical analysis and quality assurance methods were virtually non-existent.